Flash Back
by notawriter2218
Summary: What if things went a little differently after their undercover kiss? Sometimes past events just can't stay in the past. You can only push it back so much until it springs full force into your present and future. Set post 3x13 Knockdown. Case centered, but lots of character development and Caskett goodness.
1. Chapter 1

****Castle is not mine, if it was, I would not be here**

It had been one week. Only one week, but to her it felt more like one month.

Every day she walked into the precinct on edge, like she was expecting the world to end any second. She knew he would bring it up at some point, I mean, come on, he's Richard Castle, king of the innuendo, the man whose made it his life's mission to annoy her to no end.

So how has he not brought it up?

One week ago, Hall Lockwood kidnapped Ryan and Esposito while they were out investigating Raglan's shooting and as a part of rescuing the two, Castle and Beckett distracted the guard by kissing. _Ahem no no, that was definitely beyond kissing, I think making out would better suit that little rendez-vous, _mocked her conscience. Beckett leaned against her desk, head cradled in her hands as her mind kept reeling, her thoughts never ceasing to give her some mental peace. She knew he was going to talk about it at some point, how she actually went along with it and even initiated the second kiss that led to a fleeting moment of hands grabbing and tongues reaching in desperation, for a long time coming tension release. How she had the mental capacity to retreat and take out the unknowing guard, she still has no clue. Honestly, she was lost in that kiss, and that is what scares her the most.

Beckett knows that if Castle brings it up, he will see right through her normally resilient facade. The man can read her like a book. Most people in Beckett's life can't see past her stoic expression when she puts it in place, but Castle can. He notices everything about her.

So, that's why she's walking on eggshells, because if he brings it up, he will know she enjoyed it too.

The problem with that little piece of information coming to light is the fact that Beckett is still dating Josh; the cardiac surgeon with perfect looks, a kind heart, and the worst schedule ever. Not that hers is much better, but it is really difficult when both parties are extreme workaholics. None the less, her business and his business allow her to keep one foot out the door, so she's comfortable. Being with Josh is easy, and that's how she wants things to stay.

The ping of the elevator draws Beckett out of her thoughts and she quickly fixes her posture in case it's him.

It's not, she should've been able to guess by the earliness of the hour, instead Ryan and Esposito come bustling in whizzing by her desk with a,

_"Hey boss"_

_"Morning boss"_

before they take up residence across the pen at their desks.

"_Morning Boys, have a nice weekend?"_

_" Spent a whole day with my chica, first time we've both had off in a while. So yes, great weekend." _said Esposito_._

Beckett smiled . She was really happy for Lanie and Espo, both were considered close friends of hers so it was nice to see them both so content. Before Ryan could respond, Kate's desk phone went off.

_"Beckett," _she answered firmly.

The boys quickly stood up, grabbing their things. They both knew they had a case the moment she grabbed a post it and started writing. Sure enough,

"_Boys, let's go, we've got a case_,"

echoed across the almost empty pen as they walked over and she handed them a Post-it with the address. As they headed out of the precinct, she actually considered for a fleeting second, not calling Castle, just to avoid the possibility of him bringing up their intimate encounter. But Beckett quickly squashed that idea, knowing it would make the boys suspicious, and that was _not_ what she needed right now.

_"Detective, how may I be of service this morning?" _ Castle quipped.

Oh, now that was something she could run with! He practically set her up to do what she does best, tease him to no end, but instead of taking the bait, and placing salacious thoughts in his head, Beckett replied all business,

_"Hey Castle. We've got a case; I'll pick you up in 10?"_

_"Yes of course detective, I wouldn't miss it"_

_"Okay Castle, see you in a few_," Beckett answered, hanging up before he could add anything else.

_Please don't bring it up, please, please, please..._

**A/N: So, this is my first time writing ever…so if it sucks, please let me know**


	2. Chapter 2

****Castle belongs to Mr. Marlowe, not me**

"_Hey Lanie, What've we got?" _ Beckett questioned as her and Castle approached the M.E crouched down on the dock, studying the rustic green canoe tied off on the end hook, gently bobbing up and down with the river's current. When Lanie did not respond with her normally punctual analysis, Castle cast a confused look at Beckett and prodded,

"_Earth to Lanie…"_

"_I heard you Writer Boy, cool your jets before I do it for you,"_ snipped Lanie.

Castle's eyebrows shot up along with his hands in a look of surrender as he stepped back and muttered to himself,

"_What is it with me and women today?"_

"_I heard that!" _countered Beckett and Lanie at the same time.

But it was true, three in one morning? First, Alexis jabbed at him when he tried to make her eat breakfast instead of study for her Chemistry Exam today, and then in the car, Beckett was unusually guarded and distant, and now the sassy M.E was joining in on the fun. _What is going on? Is it something I did? _ he pondered, but before he could delve further into the reasoning behind the female rejection, Lanie spoke up,

"_Something is not right here. He is practically untouched, dressed as if he was heading into work, skin clean, hair fixed, and no signs of distress. The only thing I have found so far is _maybe_ signs of a bruise on his temple, but otherwise I do not have much for you at the moment. "_

"_Why does he look like a character from Twilight?"_ asked Castle, "_I mean, am I the only one that sees it?"_

"_No Castle, you are right, that was my next point_," answered Lanie_, "He is abnormally pale which signifies blood loss. That is something I will have to figure out once I do the autopsy, because I have yet to find an outlet for all of that blood to exit. But no doubt honey, he looks like he might start sparkling any minute,"_ smirked Lanie.

"_Do you have an estimate for time of death yet?" _

"_No... The fact that he was exposed to the night air for a bit and almost drowned in the cold water of the bay throws it off. I will be able to give you an estimate once I get back to the lab,"_ replied Lanie.

Beckett sighed. This day just couldn't get any better. First Castle, now a case that is already bringing up all sorts of questions and they've been at the scene for all of ten minutes. She usually liked the weird ones, but now, she would actually be perfectly content with a clear, cut and dry, "Jack shot Bill over Jill" case. Less for her mind to handle, less time she had to spend in Castle's presence.

Ryan and Esposito quickly approached the pair as soon as they turned away from the medical examiner.

"_So boys, do we have an ID? Who found this guy?"_

"_Well,"_ started Esposito, _"we do not have and ID, no wallet or witness that can tell us who he is…", "But,_ added Ryan, _"he was found half under the water in his boat slowly sinking in the bay by a couple of fishermen out for an early morning hunt. They said they saw the canoe half floating up in front of them and as they passed by, saw the body and quickly called 911. The operator told them to find a way to keep the boat from sinking, so they tied each end to theirs and brought it to shore."_

"_So why was, what looks to be a perfectly good boat, sinking?"_ inquired Castle.

"_Apparently there was a little pinhole in the side of the boat so the water was slowly seeping in, causing it to begin to sink."_

Castle mulled the information over for a few seconds before exclaiming_, _

"_That is brilliant!"_

The other three turned to him in shock, clearly confused by his outburst. Beckett leveled him with a glare, silently urging him to explain.

"_That pinhole was deliberate. The killer put it there so that eventually the evidence would disappear. He placed the body into the canoe to rest and then pushed it out towards the bay, knowing that in a few hours' time, his evidence would bury itself in the middle of the bay! Unfortunately for him, someone intercepted his efforts before they could be completed, but seriously, he could have gotten away with it if it weren't for the early birds that had to cast their net at 4:30 AM. "_

"_Well if that's the case, it would have taken some planning and brains on the killer's part,"_ mused Beckett. All three boys turned to look at her with a questioning gaze, but when she looked at Castle's, she couldn't help but notice the little bit of awe weaved into his blue irises. Beckett usually did not agree with Castle's theories right up front, not without derailing part of it first.

"_I take it back. Today, women and I are getting along quite well." _

"_Don't push it. Boys, once you pick up your jaws, head back to the precinct. Whoever gets back first, pull out the missing persons archive. Maybe we'll get lucky and find an ID."_

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know. Sorry my chapters are so short.**


	3. Chapter 3

****I do not own Castle, I did not create Castle**

As soon as Castle and Beckett entered the bullpen, Ryan approached with a file.

"_Did we really leave that far behind you guys?"_

"_Maybe you're just a slow driver"_ teased Espo, from the door of the conference room.

"_No, actually, our man was the one on top, filed at 7:00 PM yesterday; didn't require much digging."_ countered Ryan. _"His name is Alec Strite, 33 years old, a part owner/executive of T&S Solutions. Reported missing yesterday by a Holly Flanders because he didn't show at work. Apparently, there were several meetings scheduled yesterday where his presence was mandatory so it was very strange that he didn't show."_

"_Who is this Holly Flanders in relation to the vic?_

"_His secretary"_

"_Oo, scandalous, I bet she was missing more than just his presence in a meeting,"_ leered Castle while Beckett simultaneously shoved him off balance.

"_Okay, Espo, reach out to her and see if she can come in and answer a few questions"_

"_On it boss"_

"_And Ryan, any next of kin we can notify?"_

"_He's married, to let's see…it says Paige Strite, has been for 3 years. Otherwise, parents and his sister are listed as living in North Carolina."_

"_Okay Castle and I will go visit the wife, you and Espo take care of the secretary. Come on Castle, back to your favorite seat."_

"_Seriously, Beckett, I have money, what's the harm in me paying to fix my own seat!"_ Castle whined.

"_Castle, I'm not changing my mind, just give it up,"_ she sighed as the elevator doors opened in front of them and she stalked inside to lean her head against the back wall. It was just too heavy to carry on its own today.

"_Never Beckett, I don't give up on things important to me. You should know that by now,"_ Castle smiled.

As Beckett and Castle made their way to the widow's listed address, Castle realized while reading over Alec Strite's information that his address was not the same as the one they were currently on their way toward. Alec Strite lived in Soho, but they were currently on the way to Tribeca. Obviously things could not have been that amicable between late husband and wife it they were living under different roofs.

"_Beckett, they are separated. She doesn't live with him."_

"_What?"_

"_The addresses for husband and wife are different. My guess is they're going through a divorce. Who would buy a separate piece of property to sleep in just because they were having issues?"_

"_I agree. I'd say that makes her our top suspect for the moment."_

The unmarked Crown Vic eased into a parking spot out in front of the apartment building. It was a low rise, middle class economy level building that looked like it had seen its better days. Beckett and Castle walked inside and knocked on apartment 208, situated at the end of the hall on the second story. A pretty woman, approximately Beckett's age, answered the door. Her blond hair was neatly styled around her face and she was dressed in clothes that cost more than a person living in that building should be able to afford.

"Hello?"

"Good Morning Mrs. Strite, I'm Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD and this is Richard Castle, may we come in and talk with you?"

"Uh, erm, sure, yes, of course, do come in."

"Thank you"

The apartment was tastefully decorated with a definite feminine flare. Mrs. Strite sat down in an arm chair, motioning to the loveseat for Castle and Beckett to take a seat.

"Detective, I don't know what my husband is trying to do, but I can assure you that I have not done anything to warrant the NYPD's presence in the matter."

"Mrs. Strite, we were not sent by your husband," Beckett replied calmly, as a wave of confusion passed over the unknowing widow's face.

"I am a homicide detective, Mrs. Strite. I am here because Alec was found dead earlier this morning."

**A/N: sorry my chapters are so short! I know the story isn't that far along but id appreciate any reviews just to know how its going**


	4. Chapter 4

***Castle and its characters are not mine***

"_Oh, I…um, are you sure? I…with everything we've been through recently, I figured that if something like this happened, it wouldn't make a difference to me…obvi..obviously I, I was wrong,"_ she choaked out, as tears began to stream down her face. Before Beckett could try to console her, she spoke up again,

"_I don't, um didn't, love him anymore. We were completely done, going through the final stages of our divorce. I guess its just coming from those years we were happy…"_

"_I am very sorry for your loss Mrs. Strite. I need to ask you a few questions, but I can wait if you are not ready, " _Beckett replied.

"_No, no its fine. I'm good. Go ahead."_

"_Well, first off, how long have you and Alec been separated?"_

"_2 months, is how long we've been living apart, but we started having problems at least 2 months before that."_

"_Do you mind sharing with us why?"_ asked Castle.

"_Alec started becoming more distant. His work was becoming his number one priority and sometimes he would not come home until midnight. I admired his hard work and dedication, but I was losing my husband. It was like I was invisible. We never went out and just enjoyed each other like we used to. We hardly got the chance to just sit and talk and when I would confront him about it, he would just shrug me off like nothing was wrong, or he would snap at me for no reason. And one day, I met someone else."_

"_So you cheated on him. Did you tell him, or did he find out?"_

"_He doesn't know. He never found out, and I never told him. I just served him with divorce papers and it didn't even phase him! It's like he knew it was coming."_

Beckett felt for the woman, she knew what it was like to be put second behind your partner's job from her time with Will. Before she could switch tactics and start asking about the crime scene, Castle cut in with another question.

"_Mrs. Strite…"_

"_Paige, please call me Paige"_

"_Paige, I myself have been through the divorce process a couple of times, and I know that if both sides are consensual, and it sounds like that's how yours is, the process can go very quickly unless there are disagreements with possessions or money. So, why after 2 months of separation, is your divorce still not finalized?"_

"_Alec's income was the primary income for our house. He made the real money. I am just a store clerk at Saks, haggling over how our joint accounts would be split. He believed he deserved 75% because of his high paying job," _so we were Paige replied.

Paige's response raised some red flags for Beckett. To the normal eye, she seemed calm and composed, but Beckett could tell there was more to the story. She made a mental note to look into their financials and marital documents when her and Castle returned to the precinct.

"_Paige, have you ever seen this boat before?"_ asked Beckett while holding out the photo of the green canoe.

"_No, why?"_

"_This is where we found Alec. He was out floating in the bay inside this canoe. Did he ever go out fishing or frequent a certain marina?"_

"_No, as far as I know he has never been fishing. He's not much of an outdoors man. I can't imagine why he would be out there."_

As if on cue, Beckett's phone buzzed with an incoming call from Lanie.

"_Excuse me, Paige, I need to take this. Beckett."_

"_Hey girl, the boys told me you were interviewing the wife, so I figured I should call with the proper time of death. He died on Monday night, approximately between the hours of 8:00 PM and 10:30 PM."_

"_Okay, thanks Lanie. Call me when you figure out C.O.D."_

"_You got it,"_ Lanie replied.

Beckett hung up the phone and moved back over to the loveseat where Castle was sitting across from the widow.

"_Paige, I have to ask you this for the report, but where were you on Monday night between 8 and 10:30 PM?"_

"_I was, err… with my boyfriend. It was the one night he had off. He picked me up for dinner at 7 and then we went to see a show afterwards."_

"_Can I have his name, so that we can check with him?"_

"_Yeah, Dr. Josh Davidson. Good luck getting in touch with him, his schedule is honestly not much better than Alec's was. "_

Beckett froze as she heard his name, and she could feel Castle tense beside her too. What the hell? Her Josh was…oh god. How could she have been so blind? She's a detective , she should have seen it. She wasn't sure if she wanted lash out at the woman sitting in front of her or wait to unleash her fury on the man himself. She decided that unleashing it on him would be way more rewarding, so she masked her shock and calmly thanked Paige for her assistance.

Castle was staring at her the entire time as they left the apartment and made their way back to the car. His eyes were full of concern and maybe a little bit of fear as he looked at her, unsure how to broach the subject.

As the car started to head back toward the precinct, he finally broke the silence with what he hoped were the right words.

"_I would ask you if you're okay, but I know by the look on your face that you're not. I know there is nothing I can say to make it better, but know that if you ever just need to talk, I'm here. And I swear to God the next time I see that jackass I will punch him for you…"_

At her raised eyebrow he quickly amended his last statement.

"_Not that you can't punch him yourself, you most definitely can, but I, well you get the picture…"_

Beckett smirked at his babbling but before she could mask her true feelings toward his comment, a gracious smile spread across her face.

"_Thanks, Castle,"_ she replied as she reached across the cruiser to squeeze his hand as an expression of her gratitude.

After a couple moments of silence, Castle spoke up again,

"_So, what are you going to do? Arrest him? Illegally detain him? Send Ryan and Esposito on him!"_

He got more excited with each suggestion that came out of his mouth. It was well known between the two of them that Castle was not a fan of Dr. Motorcycle Boy, but before he could get carried away, Beckett spoke up,

"_Well, we need to question him as a part of this case, which is why I didn't say anything to Paige; but instead of seeking him out, I think I'll bring him to our territory. Ask him to come in and see me as if we were just going to chat, and then take him to interrogation. And then I'll strike."_

As wounded as Castle was that someone could do that to his partner, he was secretly bubbling with excitement that he would get to see Beckett tear Josh apart in the box.

"_But look Castle, not a word to the boys as to what is going on. You guys can go into the observation room, but I don't want to cause a scene when Josh walks into the precinct. Try to act normal so that he doesn't suspect anything,"_ Beckett added.

"_I'll do my best,"_ Castle placated.

When they arrived at the precinct, Josh was already there, leaning up against Beckett's desk. Castle immediately walked over in the direction of Ryan and Esposito's desks to suppress his urge to hurt Josh.

"_Hey Babe, what's up?"_

"_Hey, I just wanted to see you and talk to you. Just give me a minute to catch the boys up on our new leads and I'll meet you in that room, over there,"_ Beckett smiled, keeping up the part of "loving girlfriend" while nonchalantly pointing to the interrogation room. As soon as he was gone, Castle came back over with Ryan and Esposito trailing.

"_Everything alright?"_

"_Yeah, Castle, I'm good"_ she answered as she looked over her notes from the interview with Paige Strite. _"Remember what I said, no physical harm,"_ and with that, she turned on her heel and stalked into the Interrogation Room.

"_What was that about?"_ Esposito asked as he a Ryan simultaneously turned to Castle with confused looks.

"_You'll see, it goes for you all too,"_ Castle answered grimly. "_Come on, let's go to Observation. Believe it or not, this is actually relevant to our case."_

Esposito and Ryan nodded and followed Castle into Observation.

Josh was strolling around the room, randomly pausing to check himself in the mirror. He had never been inside one of these rooms before, nor had he ever seen what Kate could do to suspects between these four walls. He knew _Kate_, not _Detective Beckett_. Thinking it might be cool to get the full effect, he took a seat in the chair that was obviously for the criminal behind the table. Kate walked in, carefully closed the door, and leaned up against the wall looking over at Josh.

"_Hey Babe"_

"_Hey…Josh"_

"_What did you want to talk about?"_

"_Well, I just wanted to see you, I missed you on Monday, I was looking forward to dinner"_

"_Yeah babe, I'm sorry, you know how it is being on call, I had to go take care of a new patient that came in,"_ Josh replied apologetically.

Beckett nodded. She did understand, but that's not where he was according to Paige Strite. She pushed off the wall and started to move around the room, like a tigress does before she pounces on her prey.

"_Um, Castle, how is this relevant to our case? I feel like we're butting in on a private conversation" _Ryan voiced.

"_Just watch. Kate told us we could be in here"_

"_Oh, its _Kate _now? On a first name basis Castle?"_ Esposito countered.

"_Guys, not relevant. _Pay attention_"_

"_You're one to talk"_ chuckled Ryan.

"_Right. So when you say 'patient,' you mean 'a sick person in the hospital' correct?_

"_Uh, yeah Kate, why?_

"_Oh nothing, it's just I wasn't sure if you were getting the word patient confused with woman."_

"_Kate what are you talking about?"_

"_Well today I went and interviewed a suspect for the case were working on, and she seemed to think that you were somewhere else that night. So, Josh, would you like to change your answer?_

A look of realization passed over Josh's face, but quickly changed to resignation. He was done and he knew it. Beckett of course noticed and it took all her energy to not just start screaming.

"_What? No answer?"_ she scoffed. _"Dr. Davidson, where were you on Monday night, between 8 PM and 10:30 PM?"_ Beckett asked coolly.

"_What? Woah, I'm a suspect now?"_

"_Well seeing as your other woman's HUSBAND was murdered, yeah, you are. But, if you tell me where you were Monday night, you might not be. "_she growled.

Josh had never seen her like this. She was in full on, bad ass detective mode, stalking her prey relentlessly until it caved. If looks could kill…

"_Well, by your line of questioning, it seems you already know where I was so what's the point?"_ Josh sneered.

She rounded the table in a flash, lowered her hands to the table so she was leaning down face to face with him.

"_Please don't tell me what I think is happening is actually true, man, I swear to God…"_ mumbled Esposito.

"_Damn, I would not want to be him right now." _Said Ryan

"_Say it Josh, Say it, TO MY FACE" she spat. _

"_Fine! I was with a woman, okay? Paige Strite."_

"_Oh hell no, are you effing kidding me! Im gonna bust your ass chico. Nobody hurts my little chica man, I will…"_ and the rest of Esposito's rant echoing through the glass was cut short, by what Kate could only assume was the other two holding him back.

"_Dammit Josh,"_ she yelled as she slapped her hand down on the table_," What the hell is wrong with you! We've been dating for 6 months! 6 freaking months of me trying to make a relationship between two overly busy people work, but it turns out you weren't even working half the time, you were effing some other chick! That is married! I trusted you Josh! "_

She took a breath and composed herself, fixing her eyes on his with her best Beckett glare before she spoke again.

"_I sincerely hope you burn in hell. You are free to go."_ And with that, she turned and stalked out of the interrogation room, slamming the door shut behind her and immediately turning into the Observation Room. Closing the door, she sank down to floor, with her head in her hands, ignoring the concerned and angry stares of her boys.

After a few minutes of silence, and the few tears that had escaped had dried on her cheeks, she spoke,

"_I know you guys want to knock him dead right now, but please do not go make a scene in the precinct."_

They all nodded in understanding, but still not saying a word as she sat there on the floor. Esposito looked like he was having a difficult time restraining himself. Ryan's normally cool blue eyes were laced with anger, but Castle looked like someone had just kicked his puppy as his soft eyes looked over her crumpled form on the floor. Nobody even noticed Josh getting up to leave.

**A/N: Please let me know what you think, I welcome critique **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Sorry about the wait. Also, I wanted to mention, even though this takes place in Season 3 after 3x13, I am using Gates as the Captain because I felt I could write her better and she creates more drama Anyways, thanks to all my readers and people who have reviewed this story. I am glad you like it!**

****I do not own Castle, ABC does. **

The boys had filed out of the room after a couple of minutes to leave her in peace, but Castle stayed behind. As soon as Ryan and Esposito closed the door behind them, Beckett let out another quiet sob. Castle cautiously approached her limp form and engulfed her in a hug as he lowered himself onto the floor beside her. They had never really hugged before and Castle knew that if Beckett was her usual self right now, she probably would push him away, insisting she was fine. But she wasn't. Someone close to her had broken her trust and her heart. So as his arms squeezed around her, he was not surprised to hear no sounds of protest.

"_I'm sorry"_ he whispered.

"_For what Castle? It's not your fault"_ Beckett sniffed, pulling back to look at him. As she took in his saddened and genuinely concerned appearance, her fears from earlier that morning were vanquished and she settled back into his comfortable embrace.

"_I'm sorry that it happened, that you got hurt. I…I never want to see you get hurt Kate, ever. Especially by some douche bag that doesn't know how to treat someone as special as you. I don't understand how anyone could let you go."_ Castle replied as he squeezed her tighter.

Kate was touched and a little shocked by his words. She knew Castle liked her, but she never thought of it as more than a quest to get in her bed. But now, he sounded so serious, it was completely unlike him. They stayed there a little longer in the dark room, on the floor before Kate spoke up again.

"_Castle, I'll be fine. Really, its alright, I'll be fine."_ She said, trying to regain her composure so she could get back to work.

"_I know Kate, just know that I'm here."_

Before either could say anything more, Lanie's voice could be heard in the bullpen rapidly approaching the Observation Room door.

As Ryan and Esposito waited at their desks for their boss to return, an officer came up and handed Espo a set of case files from the Lockwood case.

"_Hola Ramirez, How's it going?"_

"_Hola Detective, goings good. Here's the finalized reports for the Lockwood case, ready for Beckett's approval. "_

"_Thanks man."_

Espo grabbed the files and distributed some to Ryan.

"_Might as well start to check these for her, at least it will be something we can do to help"_

Ryan nodded in response and both detectives immediately set to work on the files. After a few minutes, Ryan spoke up,

"_Hey Espo? Did you read the witness statement from the guard outside the warehouse?"_

"_No man, why?"_

"_Well uh I think you should hear this,"_ Ryan smirked.

"I was standing on the steps outside the warehouse, guardin' the door, and all of a sudden I see two drunk looking people get out of a car and start to come stumbling over in my direction. I was suspicious at first because I didn't know why the hell they would be there in an abandoned alley so I started to approach them. It was a man and a woman. The man looked like he had money, custom fitted jacket, expensive shoes. His girl was smokin. I mean drop dead gorgeous. As I got closer, they stopped and looked at one another for a second, and then all of a sudden the guy grabs the girl and kisses her. She looked kinda shocked, but then she just jumped him back. They were going at it for a good ten seconds before I decided they weren't a threat and began to turn around. That's the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I was cuffed in an ambulance."

"_No freakin' way. Imma smack that girl"_

Both the boys startled at Lanie's comment; neither had heard her approach.

"_After of course I make sure she's alright. Thanks for texting me Javi."_

"_Not a problem chica"_ Espo smiled.

"_I can't believe they finally kissed and we didn't even notice that anything was different between the two of them."_ Ryan commented.

"_Well Honey, you're forgetting, up until 10 minutes ago, both of them were in other relationships. Beckett and Josh. Castle and Gina. Plus, knowing those two, they probably haven't even mentioned it since, and just lived on like nothing happened." _Lanie replied, shaking her head. "_Speaking of Beckett and Writer boy, where are they?"_

"_They've been in the observation room since the interrogation ended, haven't come out yet. Beckett was trying not to cry before we left."_

"_Oh dear Lord," _Lanie sighed as she began to march over to the observation room door.

Espo turned to Ryan after Lanie left.

"_We could have some fun with this bro."_

"_Oh yeah, and we will." _

"_Kate? Castle? I'm comin' in you two,"_ Lanie announced as she quietly knocked and then proceeded to crack open the door.

They hadn't moved much. At Lanie's voice, they pulled out of their comfortable embrace, but remained sitting on the floor up against the wall. Kate still had one lone tear that escaped before she could shut off her valves completely. Hoping that the darkness would cover her actions, she quickly brushed her hand up to her cheek to catch the runaway before Lanie would see. She did not need another person to witness her crying today.

"_Oh honey, I'm so sorry,"_ Lanie whispered as she bent down beside Kate, _"the man is a complete jackass, he is lucky I wasn't up here sooner."_

A hint of a smile graced Kate's features. She was so lucky to have so many close friends that were willing to defend her. Seeing Lanie begin to console her best friend, Castle decided that he should let them have a moment, woman to woman, so he quietly stood and shuffled towards the door. Before he could step out, Kate looked up at him and smiled.

"_Thank you, Castle"_

"_Always" _he reassured and slipped out into the bullpen.

"_He's a sweet man Kate,"_ Lanie smiled. Kate took a deep breath and looked away from her friend's pointed stare. She was beginning to understand that more and more now. He really was a good man.

Lanie saw her trying to avoid the comment, so she switched subjects.

"_We're having a girls' night tonight,"_ Lanie said flatly.

Before Kate could refuse the order and complain that she wanted to spend the night in, alone-her usual- Lanie but in again,

"_No refusals girl. It's happening. You need to have something fun take your mind off of what happened today. He is an ass, Kate, he doesn't deserve anymore of your thoughts."_

Kate nodded. She knew she had no chance against Lanie. She was the only one impervious to her glares.

"_Fine"_

"_Good, I'll come by at 8…. Oh, and Kate?"_ Lanie turned around before she got back to the door and looked at the Detective now finally standing.

"_Dress it up girl. We're going for 'sexy as hell'"_ Lanie smirked.

That made Kate laugh, finally. Lanie resumed her exit, satisfied that her friend was a little more cheery. But she couldn't help but add one last time as she headed toward the elevator,

"_Sexy as hell, Kate. Sexy as hell."_

And with that the sassy medical examiner stepped into the elevator and left Kate to deal with the confused, but sincerely intrigued boys and Castle, staring at her where she stood still in the doorway. Oh, Lanie.

Refusing to answer the obvious question in the air, Kate approached the murder board. Back to business.

"_Ryan, Espo, we're you able to get in touch with the secretary?"_

"_Yeah, she came in while you guys were with Mrs. Strite."_ Replied Ryan. "_Ms. Flanders informed us that the meetings he was missing, had to do with the future of his company. He is a partner at T&S Solutions so it was mandatory he be there, seeing as he has major influence over what the outcome of those meetings are. She doesn't know the exact details of what was being discussed in the meetings, but she knows that he and his partner were disagreeing about what to do. His partner is Matthew Tripp."_

"_Apparently, Mr. Tripp and Mr. Strite were best friends since college," _added Esposito, "_Holly said that even though she knew they were disagreeing on something, according to the rumors, it was not a serious problem. The two worked really well together and up until the economy started getting progressively worse, everything had run without a hitch in the company."_

"_Alright boys, good work. That gives us a new lead. I think our top priority now should be to update, or more like start, putting together the board. Let's also dig up anything we can on T&S Solutions. Maybe we can find out what is going on before we actually head over there."_

"_You got it boss," _Ryan and Esposito responded in tandem.

Kate and Castle got to work on printing various suspect, victim, and crime scene pictures to arrange on the board. Kate grabbed one black marker and started to draw a timeline, musing out loud to Castle as she did. Simultaneously, Castle grabbed the other marker and went to write down the victim's details along with the possible suspects. This was their routine and they worked fluidly, never bumping elbows or disrupting the other's path. It was almost kinda creepy that they could manage it, since they were both right handed.

"_So, killzone is from 8 to 10 PM Monday night."_

"_Which Paige, and…_he who must not be named_… have a rather unfortunate alibi for,"_ Castle added.

"_Castle"_

"_Well its true."_

"_Never said it wasn't, just wondering where the Harry Potter reference came from. So, then Ms. Flanders says he was missing Tuesday at work. And he was found at 4:30 AM this morning by the fishermen in a canoe on the bay."_

"_Our suspects so far are Paige Strite, Josh Davidson, Holly Flanders, and Matthew Tripp."_

"_Right, so we can write in alibis for Paige and Josh."_

"_mhmm."_

"_Now, other things we need to look into…"_ Kate pondered aloud, tapping the closed marker to her chin.

"_Well we still don't know C.O.D from Lanie, and where was he killed? And how long was he in the canoe? _

"_All good questions Castle. All good questions."_

"_Why thank you Detective."_ Castle smiled. _"You think Lanie is ready with the autopsy results yet?"_

"I don't know, she was just here, so I have a feeling if she was, she would have told us."

"_Well then, I think that means its our time to head out to lunch. It is my job to make sure you eat, after all."_

"_Its not your job, Castle. I can feed myself."_

"_Chocolate candy doesn't count detective"_

"_He's right chica, you need to eat normal food. Go to lunch, we're good here."_

"_Ugh, fine. Let's go Castle."_

Castle reached down and grabbed Beckett's coat, and held it out so that she could easily slide her arms inside. As he turned her around and adjusted her coat front, she flipped out her hair and reached up to straighten Castle's collar and pull his jacket closed. Neither was really thinking about what they were doing, but their actions did not go unnoticed by Esposito and Ryan.

"_Bro, look at them."_

"_I know man, they look like an old married couple"_

"_Psh, What else is new."_

"_I seriously think that if some stranger walked in here right now, it wouldn't take but 1 minute to convince them that those two have been married for 8 years."_

Esposito couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. _"That would be seriously hilarious,"_ Ryan continued, _"see any strangers or rookies around?"_

"_Can you imagine the look Beckett's face when he would walk up and address them as Mr. and Mrs. Castle?"_

"_One day man, one day."_

**A/N: Not to fear, the next chapter will be along shortly because a large part of it is already written. **

**Review! Review! Review! You know you want to **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Sorry it's going kinda slow, I'm having a difficult time deciding where I want to take my characters. Thank you so much for the comments!**

**Also I got really annoyed italicizing every quote, so I stopped. If it makes it harder to read, let me know and I will resume italicizing. **

Before Beckett and Castle could slip into the elevator, Gates emerged from her office asking about what the team had found so far. Beckett began debriefing Gates on the crime scene and on the information they had received from the widow and Ms. Flanders.

"So I'm assuming they alibied out?"

"Well the boys did not know time of death until after Ms. Flanders was interviewed, so we have yet to ask for hers."

"And what about widow?"

"She, uh, she," Kate's voice cracked as she paused to try and hold her composure. Seeing her obvious discomfort, Castle stepped in to finish her sentence.

"She was with her boyfriend that night. We already had the boyfriend in for questioning and he confirmed her alibi."

"Was I talking to you Mr. Castle? Detective, everything alright?"

"Yes sir, I, um, I'm just gonna go…" Kate pointed over towards the restroom and made her way, away from the torturous conversation. Gates rounded on Castle, eyebrows raised.

"Anything you would like to inform me of Mr. Castle?"

"With all due respect sir, it's not my place. Its Kate's business if she wants to share"

"With all due respect Mr. Castle, my best detective was just rendered incapable of finishing a nonchalant conversation about this case. I deserve to know whether she is able to keep working on this or not."

Hearing those words, Esposito walked over to join in the conversation. Beckett would be even madder if Gates kicked her out. With a huff, Castle solemnly replied.

"The widow's alibi, her boyfriend, was Kate's boyfriend. They dated six months and according to the timeline the widow gave us, Kate was dating him before she came along."

"I can't believe she wouldn't let us kick his ass bro, I was about to break through the mirror."

"I see, thank you for letting me know. I won't take her off the case, but I am going to ask her to take the rest of the day off." Gates replied somewhat graciously.

"Thank you sir, for understanding." Both Castle and Esposito nodded. Gates could tell Beckett had some pretty protective friends watching out for her.

Beckett walked out of the bathroom at that moment and rejoined the conversation. Before she could try and apologize, Gates addressed her.

"Beckett, where were you and Castle headed off to next?"

Well that was not the question she expected.

" Well, since we still don't have C.O.D from Lanie, we were going to visit the morgue. She should be almost done with the autopsy."

"Sounds good. After that, you may go home. I don't want to see you until tomorrow morning."

"Castle…" Beckett glared.

"It's not his fault detective, I made him tell. Go home and get some space. Be ready to go in the morning."

It was silent for a minute as the two women played chicken with their eyes. Of course Iron Gates prevailed, but not by much. Kate let out a sigh of resignation and started walking towards the elevator, yanking Castle's elbow as she walked by. Before they were out of sight, Gates shouted.

"Detective…"

Beckett spun around to look at Gates.

"You should've let Esposito kick his ass."

Beckett smiled and turned back around. She knew, deep down, her hard as nails Captain actually cared for her people, and she just proved it. The expression on Castle's face was priceless. He was still baffled that Gates had actually thanked him earlier and then defended him when Kate turned on him, so hearing that comment just sent him over the edge. The glee radiating off of him was almost palpable in the surrounding air.

As soon as they were in the elevator, Kate let out a soft laugh.

"Okay so Beckett and Castle are off to the morgue. What are you and Ryan doing?" Gates questioned turning to face Esposito again.

"Beckett is having us look into the victim's company, T&S Solutions, to see if we can figure out what was going on in the meetings our vic missed that were so important. We're also running financials and phone records."

"Okay sounds good. Have you visited the vic's place yet?"

"No sir"

"Well after you finish, go check out the vic's apartment."

"Yes sir"

The ride to the morgue was rather silent. Instead of incessantly chatting about random nonsense, Castle was silently pondering his thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that both he and Beckett were finally single. I didn't quite happen the way he'd hoped, but it was true none the less. He cared so much about her, he never wanted to see her this upset. The only other time before today that Castle had seen Beckett emotional was when something came up about her mom. It was a whole new side to her that only a few people have ever witnessed. Most of the time, she was the 'tough cop', never showing her fears or her weaknesses. She tore apart suspects in the interrogation room, even when they brought in legal counsel. She was that good.

Today she was fragile. She almost broke down when Gates tried to talk about the suspects. He knew he couldn't push her buttons today and try to bring up what happened a week ago. He wanted to ask her so bad, now more than ever, because it could actually_ lead_ to something. But he resisted, instead he thought of small things he could do to let her know he cared.

"I think I have to agree with Captain Gates." Castle remarked.

"What?"

"I said, 'I agree with Captain Gates.'"

"Castle, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Captain Gates said you should have let Esposito kick his ass."

Kate let out a smile. "Yeah, maybe."

"It's not too late," Castle added, "You know where he lives…"

"Castle, I can't send Esposito out to beat up Josh."

"Why not? It would make you feel better."

"Because…" Kate drifted off.

"hmm? I'm listening"

"I don't know"

"Poor answer Beckett."

"Fine, how about this, if they ever see Josh again, they can do whatever they feel necessary."

"Two problems with that response: First of all: They? Why not me too? And secondly: 'whatever they feel necessary' might require you to get Lanie in on this plan so she can help them hide the body by writing it off as natural causes."

"Ugh, Castle, you know what I meant."

"Yep, you just gave Ryan and Esposito permission to kill Josh. It's my lucky day."

Kate decided it would be better to just stop talking. They had arrived anyways. Castle raced ahead to open the door for her and then followed her inside Lanie's autopsy suite.

"Always the gentleman Castle, how sweet," Lanie commented. Kate rolled her eyes and pointedly stared at Lanie. She knew what her best friend was trying to do.

"Anyways, I just finished the autopsy on Mr. Strite. It took a while to figure out his cause of death. Of course, there was the obvious blood loss, but that was hiding the fact that he should have a large bruise on the side of his head due to blunt force trauma. The x-rays showed a very slight hairline fracture. A hit like that would have knocked him right out."

"So the c.o.d is blunt force trauma?"

"Actually, no. When I looked inside the mouth, I found some cotton remnants in his teeth. And there are very faint finger marks surrounding his mouth that I would have passed off as skin irritation if it wasn't for the discovery of the cotton. So my best guess is the killer knocked our guy out so he could maybe take him somewhere? And then he suffocated him and proceeded to drain his blood."

"So our killer had a plan. He fully intended on draining this man's blood, so he didn't kill him in any way that would cause it to spray elsewhere."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Castle"

"Yeah, why would you want someone's blood? This just makes me think we've got a sadistic wack job on our hands."

"Exactly."

"Well, good luck you guys."

"Thanks Lanie, let me know if you find anything else."

"Yes m'am."

"Soooo, you're just going to head home?"

"Yeah, Castle. Don't worry, I'll still drop you at the loft." Kate sighed.

"Well thanks, not what I was getting at though. I just, uh, wasn't sure if you wanted some company?"

"No, I'm fine on my own. I'll draw a bath, read a book, drink wine. I'll be fine Castle."

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything, Kate."

**A/N: I love reviews 3 **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys, so I realized that my page/section breaks are not showing in my story, so I tried a different kind of symbol/letter to divide it. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. It always annoys me when people don't do that in their stories because it makes it seem so unorganized, so I apologize for the mishap. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

****I do not own Castle or its characters**

As soon as Kate walked in the door, she began peeling off the layers weighing her down, one by one. First the keys, then her purse, coat, boots, gun and badge. She floated by the kitchen grabbing a half empty bottle of wine she opened the night before and a glass. Next, she headed towards the bathroom, setting down her glass and bottle on a little wooden table near her bathtub and turning on the faucet so that it would reach just the right temperature. After pushing in the plug, and pouring in her favorite cherry and vanilla bubble bath, she walked back out into her living room towards the bookshelf, stripping her clothes as she went. She didn't care that her windows were open to the outside world; no one was home at this hour anyways.

She considered each of his books, as they were always her go to books when she just wanted to relax like this after a rough day. She reached out and plucked In a Hail of Bullets from the shelf and made her way back towards the awaiting sliver of paradise.

That book meant more to her than any of the others, maybe even more than the Nikki Heat's. It used to be her mother's. After Johanna passed, Kate found this book on her shelf and decided to give it a try. She knew her mother was anxiously awaiting the next book, so she figured reading something her mother loved, would make her feel closer to her somehow. She ended up falling in love with the book too and proceeded to read every one of Castle's works. She had never told him this, but his books gave her that little bit of peace when the rest of her life was going to hell.

It was also the book she stood in line for an hour for, to get signed. At the time, his first Derrick Storm book was hitting the shelves, but even though everyone was waiting to get that signed, she wanted him to sign her mother's.

_Dear Kate,_

_I hope that one day the sadness leaves your beautiful green eyes. _

_-Richard Castle_

Even back then, he was able to read her like a book.

* * *

She soaked for the rest of the afternoon, letting all of the day's grime melt off her the best it could. Looking at the clock, she decided it was time to start getting ready to go out with Lanie, so she pulled the plug and drug herself out of her mini oasis.

It technically was only five, but she knew with the mood she was in, she would drag this process out right up until about 30 minutes before Lanie was supposed to arrive at eight. She could be quick as lightning when she was called in for a case in the middle of the night, but sometimes, she just liked to be a little lazy and take her time when there was no rush. Plus, she didn't know what she was going to wear, so _that_ would take some time.

Wrapping the towel around her damp body, she moseyed into her closet. She had a couple of options that fell under Lanie's 'sexy as hell' category: her red, strapless, skin-tight dress or her black, deep-v, open-back dress, also form fitting. Honestly, her red dress was straight up hooker and she really wasn't in the mood to be fending off that many guys. She didn't want to deal with any of the creeps found in the clubs, but that was pretty much unavoidable under a dress code of 'sexy as hell'.

_Damn it, Lanie _

So, she decided that the black would be the _slightly_ better option. She grabbed a pair of sleek black stilettos to match and made her way back to the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup.

It was nearing seven o'clock and she was already completely ready to go. She could only drag out her beauty process for so long. Just then, her stomach let out a growl and she realized she and Castle never went to eat lunch_. Well I guess I should eat something…_

On her way over to the pantry, a knock sounded at her door. She stopped and double-checked the clock.

7:01 PM

_Lanie is really early….did I hear her wrong?_ She asked herself.

But it wasn't Lanie, she opened the door to none other than Castle, holding what looked like a bag of Chinese takeout.

"Uh hey Castle"

She was met with silence. Castle's mouth hung open as he took in her appearance. She looked stunning, her hair was perfectly curled with soft tendrils framing her face, her eyes shadowy and dark and as beautiful as they always were, and her lips had slightly more color in them than normal. She was wearing a _little _black dress that perfectly hugged her curves and cut down low in the front. And on top of that, her legs, seemingly endless, reached to the floor, landing in none other than black, four-inch heels.

"Castle"

"Hi….I, um, you look….stunning." He breathed.

She smiled as a blush crept up her neck and tinted her cheeks a soft shade of pink.

"Thanks…what are you doing here?"

"Oh, right, sorry, um….well I just wanted to make sure you were alright and I know that you don't like to cook and sometimes you forget to eat and it's really important that you eat plus it will make you feel better so I brought some Chinese cause I know it's your favorite and...sorry I'm rambling."

"Its…"

But Castle butt back in before she could respond, "I should have called, you look like your busy, and you said you wanted to be alone…"

"Castle"

"What?"

She reached out and touched his arm, "Thank You." She smiled.

"Oh…You're welcome."

"Would you like to come in?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

"Your timing is perfect, I was just about to try and find something to eat, but Chinese is infinitely better."

"Wow you were actually going to eat? I'm impressed Beckett."

"Ha Ha Castle." She chided as she handed him a pair of chop sticks and grabbed the Chicken Lo Mein first.

"So, why are you all dressed up?" Castle questioned.

"Lanie insisted on a girl's night."

"You sound super excited."

"Mhm, I'm the epitome of excitement."

"I see. Oh! Is this what Lanie was referring to when she left today yelling 'sexy as hell, Kate' into the bullpen!"

"Yeah," Kate chuckled.

"Well, you certainly fit that requirement."

Kate started to blush again and tried to turn away to hide it, but she failed to do so before he noticed and mentally smirked.

They continued to talk throughout dinner about random odds and ends. By the time they finished, it was a quarter to eight. Kate was cleaning up the remaining boxes, while Castle was checking out her bookshelf, when she heard a knock at the door. _Oh no, that's Lanie! If she sees Castle…Oh no…ugh I'm so screwed. _She mentally chastised herself for not pushing him out a little sooner. Lanie is going to pester her about this all night.

"Is that Lanie?"

"Yeah it should be, I'll get it."

* * *

"Hey girl, you ready? You're lookin' sexxyyy. I'm glad you listened the first time otherwise I would've made you go change."

"Hello to you to Lanie," Kate said as Lanie brushed past her into the apartment."

"Good Evening Doctor Parish"

"Castle? Hey! What are you doing here?...Am I interrupting something?" Lanie questioned.

"Not at all, I was just leaving."

"Oh, alright." Lanie replied, confused.

Castle headed towards the door and Kate turned to follow.

"Thanks for dinner Castle."

He turned and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling with sincerity.

"Always. Have fun ladies. See you tomorrow Kate." And then he was gone.

Kate. He had only used it a few times before, and every time it got to her. Whenever he did, the air seemed to thicken around her, making it harder to breathe. Not many people called her Kate nowadays since she was always working under "Beckett". Only the people close to her, special to her, called her Kate.

"Earth to Kate…" Lanie called.

Kate turned to face Lanie, mask set in place.

"I'm here, you ready?"

"Un uh, you are not getting out of this that easily…Castle brought you dinner? Did you ask him to bring you dinner?"

"No…"

"So he just showed up with your favorite kind of food and ate dinner with you."

"Yeah?"

"Good Lord, woman. How many signs do you need?"

Kate just stood there, refusing to take the bait. She rolled her eyes, "Come on Lanie, let's go."

And with that, they headed out the door, but not without Lanie adding, "This conversation, is not over Kate."

_Oh joy._

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey so I just wanted to clear the confusion. I used Gates as Captain even though this is Season 3 because I felt I could write her character better and she creates more drama. **

**I really appreciate the comments! Thank you to everyone who left one! Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

****I do not own any part of Castle**

Castle pushed the door open to his loft with a contented sigh. The night had gone well. _Really well. _Kate being dressed to the nines was just an added bonus. He still couldn't get over how beautiful she was. Best of all, she seemed happy to see him, and she ate willingly. He was worried he would have to pull his charm card to get in the door.

He walked in towards the kitchen to find Alexis studying at the bar. Her head perked up and turned to him with a smile.

"Hey Dad, how'd it go with Detective Beckett?"

"Good, if I do say so myself. She seemed to be doing alright."

"That's great," Alexis replied as she turned back to resume her studies.

"So, how's," Castle asked as he leaned over his daughter's shoulder, "ugh, what's that?"

"It's Chemistry, dad."

"Hmm, so how's my little chemist?"

"She's becoming a master of bonds." Alexis smirked.

"Oh really? I didn't know _the secret agent who must not be named_ had anything to do with chemistry? Do tell me, my dear, which is your favorite Bond?"

Alexis thoughtfully pondered the question before glancing at her dad with a mock serious stare and replying

"Goldfinger"

"Wise choice baby bird. I think I'll stick with Dr. No. The first movie is always the best."

"Touché"

"But uh, Dad, I wasn't talking about James Bond,"

"SHHH!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Alexis hastily apologized, "I was talking about chemical bonds, like ionic bonds, covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds…"

"Oh, right. Hydrogen bonds?"

"Yeah, bonds between Hydrogen and either Fluorine, Nitrogen, or Oxygen. They are extremely strong and are responsible for the make- up of water. The bonding of water is what makes it so unique and special. The reason drops of water stay together in those little blobs instead of spreading everywhere is because of the hydrogen bonding. It takes a lot of energy to break a hydrogen bond." Alexis finished with a smile.

"Wow pumpkin, I learn something new from you every day," Castle sighed as he reached over and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I'm so proud of you, you know that right?"

"Yeah Dad, I know."

"I love you, pumpkin."

"Love you too, Dad."

* * *

The music beat loudly in Kate's ears as she strained to hear what Lanie was trying to tell her at the bar. The club was certainly hopping for a Wednesday evening. People covered the dance floor in a sweaty mob, dressed from glittery show dancer to suave player; city redneck to sleek gangster. She leaned over towards her friend and held her hand next to her ear.

"Let's Dance"

Kate nodded subconsciously. She might as well, she was already here. Lanie grabbed her hand and lead her over to the floor, already bumping along with the beat.

Kate mindlessly started to move with the rhythm, hands in the air, hips twisting in a sensuous pattern. She was a good dancer, and on her better days, she loved to go out dancing with Lanie. She knew all the right moves to make any observer look in her direction.

Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, she felt an unwanted presence pressing into her backside. _Since when did guys think they could just walk up behind you, grab your midsection, and start pushing their pelvis into your ass? When did that become "okay?"_ Kate questioned to no one in particular.

She didn't even bother turning around, just gently pushed the mystery hands off her hips and stepped closer to Lanie who was dancing in front of her with someone who actually _asked_ her for permission.

Not even 10 seconds after she pushed away, the same set of hands reached forward and pulled her back so that she slammed into the guy's chest. She instantly spun on her heel, simultaneously removing the clamped hands, and leveled the guy with her best Beckett glare. He seemed to get the idea pretty quick and turned away to retreat into the growing crowd.

This is what she wanted to avoid tonight. Fending off creeps when all she wanted was to just let go a little and relax. A few songs later, another man approached Kate, this time from the front. She could tell he was coming for her because of the look in his eyes when she glanced up. He was tall, blond hair, blue eyes, and kinda handsome. Okay, so he was handsome, but it didn't mean she was interested.

"Hey, would you like to dance?" Blondie asked.

She thought about it, she really did. But, after learning a man cheated on her for about four months, she suddenly didn't have much desire to be friendly with another one. _Except Castle._

_Where the hell did that come from?_ Ugh.

"No, thanks."

"You sure? You seem to be alone."

"No I'm fine."

"Okay."

_Just go away…_

* * *

After Lanie and Kate were tired of dancing, they found a table farther away from the DJ and ordered another round of drinks. They could actually hear each other here.

"So, I didn't see you dance with anyone," Lanie started.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Not in the mood."

"Girl, what'd I tell you? He doesn't deserve any thoughts from you!"

"I know, I know Lanie. I'm not thinking about that. I actually don't miss him at all. But I feel like I've been shoved around by the male race."

"I'm sorry sweetie. " Lanie soothed, squeezing Kate's hand that lay on the table. "Well, at least you know all guys aren't like that. Look at Ryan and Javi."

"Since when do you call Esposito, Javi?"

Lanie continued unfazed, "And then there's Castle, who brought you dinner when you didn't even tell him to."

"Lanie"

"Come on girl, he's a good one!"

"Lanie, you didn't answer my question." Kate sing-songed.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you and your blindness for the beautiful man right in front of you. I mean seriously Kate, just kiss him already. He's probably a really good kisser."

"Mhmm."

Kate froze. Did she just say 'mhmm?' _Oh goodness, Lanie better not have heard that._ It just kind of came out automatically. Sometimes it is just impossible to keep the truth in, and the truth is, he's a _really_ good kisser.

"Woah, wait. Did you just say, mhmm?"

"No…"

"Kate Beckett, spill."

"What? I didn't say anything!" If she seriously thought she could yank Lanie's chain, she had another thing coming.

"Un uh, not gonna work on me Kate. I know you too well. You've kissed him before, haven't you? "

"Maybe."

"What the hell! When? And you didn't tell me?" Lanie squealed, feigning shock. Technically, she already knew.

"Because, it didn't mean anything! It was fake. We did it as a part of our undercover work about a week ago when we went to rescue Ryan and Espo." Kate huffed.

"Is that how you really feel?"

Before Kate could answer, blondie from earlier approached their table and attempted to join the conversation.

"Hey Ladies. How are you this evening," he said, staring right at Kate.

Lanie answered, "We're fantastic, but we are also in the middle of a conversation and I'd really like to hear the ending."

"Oh, please finish what you were going to say." He gestured at Kate, never turning his eyes away from her.

"Um, I'm sorry but, it's private, and I don't know you." Kate replied, turning back to face Lanie.

"Well I'd like to get to know you. Would you like another drink?" he replied steadfastly.

"No, I'm fine, thank you." Kate half-growled and finished with a tight lipped smile.

"Well if you don't want a drink can I at least take you for a dance?" he replied unfazed.

"I believe you already asked me that and I'm just fine right here."

_Can't he take a hint?_

"But you're the most beautiful woman in here, I don't want to dance with anyone else."

_Seriously?_

"Thanks, but no thanks. If you don't mind I'd like to resume speaking with my friend."

"Well talking works too, so what's your name?"

"Hey honey," Lanie directed at Kate, "We need to get going, early day tomorrow at work."

_Thank you Lanie._ Without another word, except for 'bye', Lanie and Kate slipped out of the club and into the first cab they saw, leaving blondie on the sidewalk behind them.

"Good grief, Kate. You sure know how to attract the weird ones."

"Ugh, I know."

* * *

After a few minutes of silence in the cab, Kate remembered the question she wanted to ask Lanie.

"So, when did you start calling Espo, Javi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Lanie looked out the window shyly. Her and Kate were so much alike in that each could interrogate the hell out of one another, but when it came time for them to talk about personal things and switch sides, they instantly closed off."

"It started a few weeks ago," Lanie started to smile.

"Are you happy, Lanie?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm happy."

"Then I'm happy too. Congrats" Kate smiled. She leaned over and gave her friend a warm side hug.

"Thanks girl."

"I actually already knew, we all did." Kate laughed.

"You little…" Lanie shoved Kate back over onto her seat. She tried to hold a look of exasperation on her face, but it didn't last. Soon the smile burst through and over took her features.

"Just wanted to hear you say it." Kate added.

"Yeah, well, I already knew you kissed Castle."

"WHAT!"

"Boys told me. It was in the witness report."

"THE BOYS KNOW!"

"Yeah" Lanie laughed.

"Ugh, I hate you."

"Love you too, honey"

**A/N: Until next time…**

**In the meantime, leave me your thoughts. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright, I hope I got this right. Not sure if I did, I'm new at this. I thought about how to write these scenes like a million times. Thanks for your comments.**

*****Castle isn't mine **

Beckett strode into the precinct a little later than her norm the following morning due to her late night with Lanie. Since they left the club earlier than expected, the two ended up going to Lanie's for more wine and some detailed girl talk about Lanie and Esposito's new affair. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice Castle was already waiting patiently by her desk, sipping a coffee.

"Good morning Detective," Castle smiled.

"Castle," Kate answered, surprised, "you're here early."

"Figured you would need your coffee as soon as possible after last night."

Kate bit her lip trying to hide her smile. He could be so sweet sometimes.

"What happened last night?" Esposito but in. No one had noticed him approaching Beckett's desk.

"Uh, girl's night, with Lanie." Kate forced out, trying to sound like Castle's coffee kindness hadn't just made her want to hug him.

Esposito gave them a weird, disbelieving look before realization washed over his face when he remembered Lanie telling him last night at dinner that her and Kate were going out.

"Right, so you want to hear what we did after you took a vacation yesterday?" Esposito jested.

"Of course Espo, get on with it." Kate waved her hand, symbolizing just so as she grabbed her coffee off her desk and took a large sip.

"Well, first, Gates told us to go scout out the vic's apartment. He's got a nice place in Soho, definitely makin' some money. Nothing seemed amiss. There were no clues as to anything weird that might have happened to him. No signs of a struggle either so my guess is that it's not where he was knocked out. We did find a bunch of legal papers that looked like they had something to do with his divorce. A legal expert was not available yesterday, so he is looking at them now."

"Okay, so we still haven't found the scene of the crime. Did you guys look into his company?"

"Yep," answered Ryan, joining in the conversation, "but we couldn't find any more detail than what Ms. Flanders provided us with. The only thing we know is that the company has been slowly losing money and downsizing as a result. There is a rumor that they are considering partnering with E&G to stay afloat."

"Maybe that's what the disagreement is about, whether to partner with E&G or not? That provides motive for Alec's business partner." Castle added.

"We need to talk to him," Beckett responded turning to look at Castle.

"Well before you run off, there's more. We also ran financials and telephone records. Nothing popped on financials, except that he was paying a boatload for his divorce lawyer, which means there must have been something more at stake than legally becoming unwed."

"Dammit, I was going to tell you guys to check out his marriage documents and financials yesterday because Paige's story didn't sound right to me, but I must have forgotten in everything that happened."

"Beckett, its fine," Castle assuaged, "I forgot too."

"Ugh. When I heard Paige's reason as to why the process was taking so long it sounded off. She said they were haggling because of difference in income, since Alec made way more than her, but I don't think that is a good reason for a 2 month long divorce."

"I agree, we'll look into that. Maybe those legal papers we found in Alec's loft will tell us something." said Ryan, "One last thing though, phone records. Nothing unusual. Coinciding with Lanie's t.o.d, his phone didn't receive or make any calls after 8 PM on Monday. We think the killer broke it because it doesn't even go to voicemail when called like a turned off phone would."

"Okay, good work boys. I think Castle and I will head down to talk with Alec's business partner, while you guys look into the marriage mess."

"Sounds good boss."

"Oh and Beckett," Esposito spoke up, "I've been thinking about this a lot since the uh, Lockwood incident, and I was wondering, how the hell did you and Castle get past the guards?" He finished his question with a slight glimmer in his eye as he faced both Beckett and Castle whose faces had completely blanched.

"Yeah I mean, without just shooting him from a distance, how did you get close enough to knock him unconscious?" Ryan added.

Both boys looked expectantly at their two colleagues. Beckett was at a loss, she had no clue what to say. She was praying that Castle's imagination would kick in and he would somehow cover both their asses.

"Simple, we acted like drunk people." Castle said. Well, that was half true. It was the original plan. Kate let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Alright," Espo nodded along, "I could see that working," he said pretending to believe them. "You would think that you guys kissed or something, the way your two faces turned ghostly, geesh." Espo laughed.

Him and Ryan smiled and turned away, feeding the birds once they got to a safe distance.

"Lanie was right. They definitely never talked about it."

"I know bro, you see their faces? I wish I'd had a camera."

* * *

T&S Solutions was only about 9 blocks from the precinct so Beckett and Castle decided to walk. It was near the end of January so the weather in Manhattan had a bit of a bite. Lucky for them, the sun was shining despite the snow on the ground and the wind chill factor that made it feel a few degrees cooler than it actually was. Beckett was huddled in her coat trying to keep her hands warm as her heels clicked down the sidewalk defiantly. Her pace was quickened for two reasons: she wanted her time alone with Castle to be as short as possible and well it was freezing outside. Not even a block away from the precinct Castle spoke up.

"So, the boys know…"

"Yeah, Lanie does too. She's the one who told me they knew."

"What?"

"Mhm"

"How did they…?"Castle started, entering into his thoughts. She could see his mind going through the different possibilities trying to figure it out. It was like when he was trying to build theory for a case. His eyes would space out while his brow furrowed. He looked adorable. _Where did that come from? _Kate wondered. She's been catching herself thinking thoughts like that far too often recently.

"I didn't say anything, you didn't say anything. How…?"

"Apparently it is in the guard's witness report," Kate grumbled.

"Oh"

Silence. Castle's mind was at a fork in the road. Either talk about it, or don't. He had been wanting to bring it up since it happened but every time he tried, he lost the courage. Now that it was out in the air, he might as well; _what do I have to lose?_ He thought_. Your best friend. Crap._

"Kate?"

Castle stopped walking and looked at the beautiful woman ahead of him. She turned, eyebrow raised, soundlessly asking 'what'. The look in his eyes told her exactly what he was about to discuss. The very subject she wanted to avoid. Quickly averting her eyes, she glanced down the sidewalk behind him. A couple of shops down, a man walked out, with blond hair and blue eyes. He stopped out in front and then turned in Kate's direction.

It was Blondie, from the club.

Kate's eyes widened in realization while her face once again lost a few shades of color. Castle noticed her change in expression and turned around to see what was the matter. Not seeing anything unusual he turned back around with a confused look upon his face.

"What's wrong Kate?"

"Castle, let's go, now." She quickly grabbed his arm just as he heard a man's voice call out 'Kate!'. Kate slid her hand down and grabbed his hand, while her other reached across her body to latch onto his upper arm and her head tipped down to rest on his shoulder. She was pressed into his side as they speed-walked down the sidewalk.

"Kate, not that I mind, but this touching thing is a little different for you. And why are we speed-walking? And who is that guy?"

"Creeper from the club Lanie and I went to last night. He wouldn't leave me alone so Lanie and I finally just had to leave."

"So, you're clinging to me thinking he will go away?"

"Yes, Castle, is he still following?"

"uh, yeah, he's bumping through people trying to catch up."

"Shit"

They still had a ways to go before they reached T&S Solutions and before they would be able to get there, the man would definitely catch up. _Maybe he needed a stronger signal to back off?_ Castle thought. Before Beckett knew what was happening, Castle had steered her over to the wall of the hotel they were passing and flipped her around so her back was pressed against it. They were still holding hands so Castle reached with his other to cradle her cheek and then brushed it back to her neck. Her eyes widened as it clicked in her mind what he was about to do, but she didn't want him to stop.

He leaned in, tilting her head forward to meet his and kissed her like he did just one week ago. His lips moved perfectly against hers as he pressed her back into the wall with the rest of his body. She let go of his hand and wrapped both arms around his neck, running one hand through his hair. This time, there wasn't tongue, but it didn't matter. It was just as passionate as their first fake kiss. They broke apart for air and rested leaving only an inch of space between their lips.

"I didn't think it was possible top our first kiss, but that was somehow even better," Castle murmured.

A crimson blush began to creep up Kate's neck and flow into her cheeks as she fought a smile. Castle stepped back, being the gentleman he is, and offered his arm to continue their walk. Kate wrapped her arm through his and fell into step beside him, glancing over her shoulder to check for Blondie.

He was nowhere in sight.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please Please, pretty please comment! They are my motivation to keep this going. **


End file.
